Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-09-24

1 4.
81 fear | shall disturb you.m she
said. with foreign but agreeable
accent Excuse me; Twill c,me back
another day."
| Frederick, who wOull willingly have
detained the girl, saw Ter Hit from the
room with the grace ald shyness of a
| chamois.
| There goes al execution to her sex
IN general AMI her nation in par
tlcular, said the artist with half
sigh.
"Ah. how tharitabel how gallant!
how interesting" exchimcd one of the
young men present but | should
IKE 10 teach your exception good
manners, he addeC. rushing to the
window and max NJ pantom mic signs
to the retreating Grz ella, who turned
| her BACK on him, evidently vexeI for
having lndulged in a Retrospective
glance.
The unabasbed young fellow ap-
preached the artist and digging him in
the ribs. said
You are lucky dog, Holt! We
understand you know. Artist aud
model! Lake of Como and Ovid"
The turn the conversation had taken
caused some anger in the breast of the
painter of "Nero's Dream;' and draw
ing himself up, he explained with in
dignant warmth that the girl was no
ordinary frequenter of studios, aud that
having nothing in common with those
OF the profession she was the imperson-
alton of modesty and virtue.
| 81 wnulI anaIvar FOR. bar for ,,,,,
sister, he exclaimed, with flushed
checks and flashing eyes.
''See here, Frederick, don't fly off ut
q tangent She is pretty, confounded-
ly pretty. How long have you known
her?'
'Only for few months. She is re-
served and good. and worthy the hon
est love of any man."
$50 it, Fred. my boy! l say, though.
il you keep on you will end by speak
ing blank verse. BY the wav. though.
what splendid title and subject for a
picture: The Organ-Grinder's Child;
or, the Artists Infatuation.
Laugh on. my critic! and vet l still
dare to affirm that the girl is honest
and good"
In fact Graziella merited all that the
artist could say in her defence. At the
age of ID she had left her native coun-
| try, the superb coast of Sorrento, to
emigrate with a band of Neapolitans,
and few weeks later had disembark-
ell with a miscellaneous assortment of
good and evil a: Castle Garden, New
York.
Having neither father nor mother,
Graziella had brought W th her no
other souvenir than the memory of her
native village and her young lazzarone
lover, who passed his days sleeping
under the vines by the sea, often hav-
ing no other breakfast than the warm
rays of sunlight that penetrate every
nook and corner of that favored land.
Upon the arrival of Graziella and
her Neapolitan fl ends in New York
the band became scattered, though a
large number settled in the neighbor-
hood of Marion and Crosby streets,
while Graziella found a home for her
self W tn an old country-womau of hers
in a drear.. house devoid of sunshine
and all other comforts. except that oi
the protection and goodwill of the old
woman.
The girls only pleasure was 10 SALLY
forth ut day break. and after long walk
to wander about Castle Garden. which
became her habitual promenade; so
that one might have supposed that the
bright little isurc b!oomcd there like
the other flowers.
After the fashion of many of her
country women she retained the na-
tiOnal costume. which consisted of q
green p;ttycoat sh ort enough to reveal
tidy shoes anl stock ngs. dark velvet
bodicc. the never failing striped apron,
and the white head covering that sci
off to advantage the glossiness of the
th OK black hair. The cleanliness Of
her apparel amounted almost to dain-
tiness.
As an except on to her race. her com.
plcxiOn was pink and white. in strong
contrast to the usual dark-olivc hue Of
the ordinary Ncapolitan. Her com
plexion was not only line, but her fea
lures were of the utmost regularity
Coral lips, tiny mouth, and large, ten
der eyes, shaded by long lishes, ar
rested the attention of passersby; anC
not unfrequcntly poor Graziella wa:
frightened by the undisguis.d admira.
ton of the unknown who congregated
at the Battery on Sunday afternoons.
IL by chance she was accostcd by
some unknown person, she quietly be-
took herself to another part of the
park. to dream in peace in the beauti.
full October sunlight of New York.
These hours of dolce far niente be.
became less and less frequent, however
for Graziella. likes her compatriots. was
obliged to earn her da ly bread, bread
which she had also to share with the
old woman to whom she owed shelter
To provide for her wants this girl
had two resources; namely to pose as
a model for artists during the morn
| ing. and in the afternoon to turn the
handle of small organ in the most
trequented streets
She had been initiated into the pro-
fession of model by Frederick Holt,
who had seen her one day turning the
handorgan opposite the window oI
| Nartinelli's restaurant, where he was
dining. Her natural beauty and SIM
| pie grace ut once attracted his trained
| eye, that was ever on the alert fol
the picturesque and the beautiful
Soon the girl became favOrite il
the studios. where by posing three OIL
four hours daily she was eventually
enabled to hire a more cheerful roou
for herself and the old woman. whom
| she would not abandon in the day:
| of her comparative pros perity.